Chicken Fried Rice (Better Than Takeout)
Fried rice is the greatest leftover makeover in culinary history. Take yesterday's rice — cold, dry, forgotten in the back of the fridge — and transform it into something smoky, savoury, and better than the rice it was when it was fresh. Fried rice doesn't just rescue leftovers. It elevates them. And as someone raised by a Polish babcia who believed throwing away food was a mortal sin, the zero-waste magic of fried rice speaks to my soul.
Ingredients
- 4 cups day-old cooked rice cold from the fridge
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup cooked chicken, diced or shrimp, kielbasa, tofu, or any leftover protein
- 1 cup mixed vegetables peas, corn, diced carrots, green beans
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce optional but recommended
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- White pepper
Method
Why Day-Old Rice
- Fresh rice is moist and sticky. When it hits a hot wok, it clumps together and steams instead of frying. Day-old rice has dried out in the fridge — the individual grains separate easily and crisp up when they hit the hot oil. This is not optional. Fresh rice = mushy fried rice. Cold rice = individual grains that bounce and char. The dryness is the secret. Every fried rice recipe that fails can usually trace the problem to fresh rice.
Cook
- Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over the HIGHEST heat your stove can produce. When the oil shimmers and barely begins to smoke, add the eggs. Scramble quickly — 30 seconds, big curds, slightly underdone. Push to the side. Add garlic — 15 seconds. Add the vegetables and protein. Stir-fry 2 minutes.
- Add the cold rice. Press it flat against the wok and let it sit for 30 seconds without touching it. This is where the magic happens — the rice chars slightly against the hot surface, developing that smoky, toasty flavour (wok hei) that separates restaurant fried rice from sad, steamy home attempts. Toss, press flat again, let it char. Repeat 3-4 times over 3-4 minutes.
- Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Toss everything together. The soy sauce sizzles against the hot wok and creates steam that distributes flavour. Add green onions in the last 10 seconds — they should stay crisp and bright green.